Hosting a sleepover for your birthday can be a lot of fun—you get to enjoy your friends’ company at night and in the morning, too! All you need to do is pick out some fun activities and get your parents or other family members to help you plan. Pretty soon you’ll be having an awesome time celebrating your birthday with your friends!

Steps

Part 1

Planning the Party

1

Pick a theme for your party. Turning your birthday sleepover into a themed party can be a ton of fun and can make your party even more memorable. There’s lots of different themes to choose from, but here are a few popular options:

Different decade theme. Dress up like you were born in the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, or 90’s.

Decorate your house. While decorations are optional, they can make your house feel more festive--especially if you're hosting a themed party. Sometimes it's as simple as hanging up some colored lights or buying a few rolls of streamers.

3

Make sure you have the right party supplies. Have a parent or adult family member go with you to a craft store or grocery store to buy everything you need for your party. If you’re planning on making a meal or offering snacks, make sure you have all the right ingredients.[1]

Make a checklist before you head to the store so you can keep track of your supplies.

Consider going to a dollar store to buy your supplies. Dollar stores are inexpensive and you can often get more bang for your buck!

4

Send out invitations. You could choose to write your invitations on construction paper or card stock and hand them out at school, send your friends a Facebook message, or have your parents send out emails. Whichever method you end up choosing, make sure to include accurate information about what time the party starts, how old you're turning, what the theme is, if food will be provided, and what time parents will need to pick up their kids in the morning.

Make sure you send your invitations privately so others won’t feel left out if they’re not invited to your birthday party—remember, you can only host so many people in your home.

Ask your parents how many people they’re comfortable hosting at their house. A normal range for a sleepover is usually between 2-8 people, but if your parents can accommodate more, go for it!

Ask parents to contact you if their children have any food allergies, and plan your menu accordingly.

Part 2

Hosting a Fantastic Sleepover

1

Set some ground rules. Make sure your friends know what the house rules are. You don’t need to be too firm, just make sure they know to respect your belongings and your parents’ rules.[2]

2

Have some snacks ready. Before your guests arrive, make sure you have some snacks set out for them to munch on while they’re waiting for everyone else to show up. Some good options include chips and dip, party trays, pizza, and small sandwiches. If your parents will let you, order snacks or appetizers from your favorite restaurant.

Double check that your friends aren’t allergic to any of the snacks you’ve set out.

It’s a good idea to have some vegetarian options as well, in case any of your friends don’t eat meat.

3

Turn on some music. Putting on some of your favorite music can put everyone at ease and make the party more fun. You could make a playlist of all your favorite songs and even have a dance party!

You can also make a CD of your party playlist and give it to your friends as a party favor when they leave. A CD can be a great reminder of how much fun you had, and you can keep it for a long time!

If you chose a theme for your party, play songs that go along with it. If you don't have a theme, you can just play some birthday themed songs to get people in the mood to party![3]

4

Play some fun games or activities. There’s practically no limit to the activities you can choose for your sleepover, but it’s good to play games that will be fun and easy for everyone. Think about the things you and your friends usually do together and choose an activity you think they’ll enjoy.[4] You could decide to:

It's sometimes helpful to plan more than one activity, or have a couple of different games going at once so your friends can choose which one they like more. It’s also OK to come up with new games as the party goes on—you might end up discovering a game you really like!

5

Share a birthday cake with your friends. If you chose to have your parents bake or buy a special cake for your party, have your friends sing happy birthday and give everyone a piece of cake. Don’t forget to blow out candles!

Instead of a traditional birthday cake, have an adult relative help you make cupcakes. Cupcakes that come pre-mixed are usually pretty easy to make—plus, everyone gets to have their own.

Limit sugar and caffeine. While it’s usually a good idea to have some soda or punch available when your friends first arrive, make sure to limit how much sugar you consume after the sun goes down, otherwise you won’t be able to fall asleep.

6

Open presents. It’s up to you whether or not to require presents at your birthday party. It might be easier to just skip presents and enjoy spending time with your friends. If you do decide to open presents, make sure to thank each of your friends individually for being kind enough to buy you a gift. If you don’t like some of the gifts you receive, save your disappointment until after the party and smile after you open each gift.

7

Tell scary stories. As the night goes on, it can be fun to get a flashlight and tell scary stories in a dark room. Make sure all your friends are comfortable with scary stories and be sure to stop if you see someone getting too scared.

Instead of scary stories, you can also tell jokes, come up with skits, or play truth or dare!

You could also go around the room and have your friends tell stories about the most fun they've ever had on their birthday. It might give you some ideas for games or help you plan your next birthday party!

8

Make sure everyone has a place to sleep. It might be fun to have all your friends sprawled on a giant quilt or pallet in the living room, but first make sure everyone is comfortable before you turn out the lights and get ready for bed.

Be respectful of your friends that want to go to bed early. If someone needs to be up early the next day or they’re used to going to bed at a certain time, find a place where they can sleep in peace and quiet.

It may be a good idea to tell your friends to bring their own sleeping bags. If you’re short on bedding, tell your friends to bring their own sleeping gear. Sleeping bags are fun and easier to put away than sheets and blankets—just roll them up and you’re ready to go!

If you like camping, see if your parents will let you pitch tents in the backyard and camp out. Make sure you have enough room in the tent for all your friends to sleep comfortably.

9

Watch a movie. A great way to fall asleep is to put on a good movie and turn out the lights. Have your parents make some popcorn or set out some movie theater candy. Take a poll and see what your friends want to watch—you want to choose a movie that everyone will enjoy. Here's a list of birthday themed movies to give you some ideas:

30 Going on 30

Sixteen Candles

Toy Story

Uncle Buck

Some of your friends might have different rules than you about which movies they’re allowed to watch. To be on the safe side, choose something that’s family friendly—plenty of great movies are!

Part 3

Wrapping Up The Party

1

Wake up your guests politely. Gently tell your friends that it’s time to get up. If you have any morning activities planned, it’s important that your friends are up and dressed in time. If your friends forgot any overnight items like a toothbrush or towel, see if your parents have any extras laying around the house that they can borrow.

2

Make breakfast for your guests. It’s a good idea to have breakfast planned for your guests. Foods like pancakes or waffles are great choices because you can make the batter the day before and have it ready to go for mealtime. Simple breakfast foods like cereal or toaster strudels are also delicious options! Make sure to have plenty of orange juice or milk on hand as well.

3

Watch cartoons. While you wait for your guests’ parents to arrive, turn on some cartoons or a fun TV show. Everyone knows that cartoons and breakfast go great together, and watching TV is a great way to relax and recuperate from all the fun you had the night before.

4

Hand out party favors. It’s nice to put together a small bag of party favors for your guests so they'll have something to remember your birthday party by. You can include things like candy, small toys, nail polish, action figures, or other trinkets.

If you decide to include a CD of the birthday party playlist, you could label it with your name and how old you're turning, or make a decorative sleeve for the CD that goes with your theme.

5

Help clean up. Thank your parents for all their hard work helping out with your sleepover. Help them clean up empty cups, spilled popcorn, streamers, nerf bullets, costumes, or anything else that you find lying around after the party. Helping your parents clean up shows them that you’re grateful for their help in making your birthday party awesome. Plus, showing initiative in cleaning up makes them much more likely to help you plan your next sleepover!

If you find something left behind by one of your friends, bring it to school the next day or have your parents contact their family.

Community Q&A

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Question

How can I make a nine-year-old's sleepover fun?

Community Answer

Plan ahead. Get films to watch, games to play, and some sweets. Though children do love to do their own thing, make sure they don't go to bed too late, or get too high on sugar.

Tips

Make sure everyone is happy and not feeling left out. Plan a few icebreaker games if not all your friends know each other.

Be respectful of others’ wishes. If someone wants to go to bed early or leave for some reason, let them.

Spend time planning your party, but don’t stress out about it. Just go with the flow and have fun!

It’s a good idea to take pictures at your party, but make sure to ask your friends’ permission before posting pictures of them on social media.

Warnings

Make sure your friends’ parents have your home address, your parents’ cell phone numbers, and accurate information about when the party will start and end. Make sure your parents have their phones on at all times in case of emergency.

Don’t plan any dangerous or illegal activities at your party—it can lead to serious consequences.

Don’t pester your friends while they’re asleep or encourage them to do things they’re not comfortable doing.